Inside View:QUANTUMOF THE SEASREVEALED

Royal Caribbean unveils plans for its newest ship.

byRichard H. Wagner

Overview of Quantum of the Seas..........................................page one

The Nautical Perspective.......................................................page two

Public Space Wows..............................................................page three

Accommodation Innovations.................................................page four

More to Come.......................................................................page five

Royal Caribbean International has been working on its next class of cruise ships since shortly after its landmark ship Oasis of the Seas entered service in December 2009. One thing that has been remarkable about this effort, known as Project Sunshine, is how little has leaked out about these ships. While there has been much speculation and rumor, all that was known for sure was that there would be two ships approximately the same size as RCI's Freedom of the Seas and that they were to be built by the Meyer Werft shipyard in Germany. Earlier this year, Royal announced the names of the ships, Quantum of the Seas and Anthem of the Seas. On April 16, 2013, Royal held an event in New York City to reveal plans for Quantum of the Seas.

A different ship

All too often when a cruise line announces a new class of ships, the new class is actually just an improved version of the line's existing ships. Not so with Quantum of the Seas. It is not an improved Radiance of the Seas, a slightly larger Freedom of the Seas, or a condensed version of Oasis of the Seas. “It is a different approach. We just felt it was time for some new things that we have never done before and we think it is coming out beautifully,” noted Royal Caribbean Chairman Richard Fain. Indeed, the new ship will dispense with some trademark Royal Caribbean features. “There is no Royal Promenade and there is no ice skating rink. It is a different design. This really is a new class of ship. It is all its own,” said Lisa Lutoff-Perlo, Executive Vice President of Operations. This is a bold move. Every large Royal Caribbean ship since Voyager of the Seas premiered in 1999 has had these features. Guests adore them. But Royal is unwilling to let the triumphs of the past become an anchor that prevents the line from moving forward with new concepts. As Mr. Fain explained: “One of the questions that I get asked the most - - and a frustrating one - - is when we take delivery of a new ship and everyone says 'wow, this is spectacular but what is next?' Then we come up with something spectacular [again] and they say you didn't have this from the old. We say: 'you have to look at the totality of it, you'll like what we come up with.” “We do not believe that one size fits all. We have different ships, different itineraries, and we think that difference is a good thing. This ship is designed to be the best that we know how to make it, to include all the innovations that we could apply to it and to provide the best cruise experience in the world.” “What we were looking for with this ship was a measurable step forward in the cruise vacation experience. We wanted to come up with something that was measurably more exciting. Something that was measurably more interactive. And something that was measurably more entertaining.” “Our goal with Quantum cruising is to give people a different feel for what the cruise experience can be all about,” added Adam Goldstein, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International. “There are attractions on this ship that we believe will get over whatever lingering misconceptions that people have about the cruise experience, showing how exciting it is, the array of options and varieties that are available to the guests.” However, Mr. Fain cautioned that the Quantum is not just about spectacular attractions and that the onboard experience cannot be told merely by listing the ship's various features: “What we think will really make this vessel so special is the way all these things come together. All these pieces integrate into a whole and the sum of the parts is spectacular. When you look at the way they all fit together, I think you create an atmosphere that is comfortable, seamless and just feels right.”

Guests then viewed a video with computer animations that created a virtual ship both inside and out.

Following the video, Richard Fain, Chairman of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd., and Adam Goldstein, President and CEO of Royal Caribbean International arrived on stage in bumper cars. One of the venues on Quantum will be a bumper car arena.

RCCL Chairman Richard Fain (above) and RCI President and CEO Adam Goldstein (below) then made presentations about Quantum of the Seas and answered questions from the audience.